# phpman > man > DIRNAME(1)

> **TLDR:** Remove trailing filename portion from a path.
>
- Calculate the parent directory of a given path:
  `dirname {{path/to/file_or_directory}}`
- Calculate the parent directory of multiple paths:
  `dirname {{path/to/file_or_directory1 path/to/file_or_directory2 ...}}`
- Delimit output with a NUL character instead of a newline (useful when combining with `xargs`):
  `dirname {{-z|--zero}} {{path/to/file_or_directory1 path/to/file_or_directory2 ...}}`

*Source: tldr-pages*

---

[DIRNAME(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/DIRNAME/1/markdown)                                  User Commands                                 [DIRNAME(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/DIRNAME/1/markdown)



## NAME
       dirname - strip last component from file name

## SYNOPSIS
       **dirname** [_OPTION_] _NAME_...

## DESCRIPTION
       Output each NAME with its last non-slash component and trailing slashes removed; if NAME con‐
       tains no /'s, output '.' (meaning the current directory).

### -z --zero
              end each output line with NUL, not newline

       **--help** display this help and exit

### --version
              output version information and exit

## EXAMPLES
       dirname /usr/bin/
              -> "/usr"

       dirname dir1/str dir2/str
              -> "dir1" followed by "dir2"

       dirname stdio.h
              -> "."

## AUTHOR
       Written by David MacKenzie and Jim Meyering.

## REPORTING BUGS
       GNU coreutils online help: <<https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/>>
       Report any translation bugs to <<https://translationproject.org/team/>>

## COPYRIGHT
       Copyright © 2020 Free Software Foundation, Inc.  License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3  or  later
       <<https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>>.
       This  is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.  There is NO WARRANTY, to
       the extent permitted by law.

## SEE ALSO
       [basename(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/basename/1/markdown), [readlink(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/readlink/1/markdown)

       Full documentation <<https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/dirname>>
       or available locally via: info '(coreutils) dirname invocation'



GNU coreutils 8.32                          January 2026                                  [DIRNAME(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/DIRNAME/1/markdown)